Convention Dos and Don’ts Special 2007

Hello Agent Bahamut and Agent Petals here, and today we will be giving you readers a simple guideline to the Dos and DON’Ts of attending a convention!

Dos

– Make sure to be prepared before you get to the con, especially if you’re cosplaying as a character that has a lot of props or accessories.

– Always grab a con schedule! It is very helpful when planning out what events/panels you are interested in attending during the convention.

– Speaking of schedules… try to make plans, like a To-Do list. If you wander around the con all day with nothing planned, you will certainly miss out on something!

– Remember to bring a LOT of water with you! It’s an easy thing to forget but it’s really important because the drinks at the con are $2+ for one can from the coke machine! You may also find yourself extremely dehydrated by Sunday if you don’t remember water.

– The con experience is so much more memorable and enjoyable if you have someone to spend it with. Always stay with a friend; it’s a lot more fun than wandering the con alone. If you happen to be flying solo, meet new people and hang out with them! What’s the point of attending a convention and having no one to spend it with?

– A Q&A session is where the actor is on stage and the audience asks questions. There might be a microphone handed around, or more usually, a microphone to the side or in the middle that people queue behind to ask questions. Do ask a question. Don’t be shy or embarrassed! So what if you’re worried that people might think your question is daft – chances are they won’t! Just get up there and do it, it is part of the con experience.

– Try to make a mental or physical checklist of all you need before you leave home. It’s just like going to a friend’s house, you don’t want to forget anything because if you do there is a slim chance of being able to go back and get it.

– Always, always, always bring deodorant, shampoo, soap, clean undies… It’s a convention! There are lots of people, it is very packed and very hot, so it’s not going to smell like a garden. And it will pay handsomely in the end if you stay fresh.

– Food is a very big issue, no matter how much you think you have, it will never seem like enough. So what you should do is pack a cooler full of food and water and try to avoid anything with a lot of sugar. ‘Cause when you’re hungry, sugar is not the answer. I would suggest fruit or veggies; they’ll keep your energy up and your stomachache away.

-If you plan on cosplaying, be prepared to get your picture taken by other con goers. Be sure to have a variety of poses to pull off for the camera. For example, if you were to cosplay as a ninja practice a few fighting poses in the mirror at home. Trust me, it will look a whole lot better than just standing with your fists up.

DON’Ts

– Remember to call the guest by their name, not the characters name! It is an easy slip up to make, especially if you’re nervous. If it happens just smile, apologize, and carry on – just so the guest knows that you know the difference!

– Guys, please do not try to make any moves on girls who choose to wear those skimpy costumes. They want the attention, not a date.

– Girls, please do not scream at the top of your lungs when you see your favorite male character! Also, you’re not in the NFL; don’t tackle him, simply ask for a picture and a hug. I’m sure he will be thankful in the end.

– Cons are excellent for meeting new people. But you have to be careful, don’t just go around to every interesting person you see at a con. These may be “your” kind of people but it doesn’t rule out the possibility of being put in danger. Don’t give out your cell phone number, maybe a screen name or a secondary e-mail address instead.

– It is really, really tempting and it may sound like common sense but don’t spend all of your money on the first day! Make sure you work in a food/emergency budget and set that aside before buying anything. You never know what might happen and, as Murphy’s Law so truthfully states, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”

– Cosplayers, don’t go into the con without a bag of emergency cosplay supplies. Those elevators will be busy and full, and if you were to have a cosplay crisis, you wouldn’t have time to wait around to catch one and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to waste your energy running up flights of stairs. Simply carry a bag of safety pins, extra ribbon, or whatever else associated with your costume that comes to mind. It never hurts to play it safe at a con.

– When packing for a convention, people will normally find out that their car is a lot smaller than normal. This is called “pre-con-itis”, also known as “The Little Clown Car”. People, don’t over pack when you leave the house. This will only hurt you, especially at the end of the con when you’re tired, hungry, and thirsty and you have to haul all that luggage out of the room, drag it down to the lobby to check-out, and then cram it back into the car. So fellow con-goers, pack what you need, not your entire room!

– Don’t get involved. The word “drama” is found no where in the word “convention”. But anyone with enough experience will tell you, there is never a convention without drama. They seem to go hand in hand. The best thing to do when drama arises is to tell someone you’re heading off for a walk around the con center. Make sure you have some way for your group to get in contact with you again, if you don’t this will only bring up more of that drama.

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